Goeie visuele vaardighede is noodsaaklike komponente in die bereiking van opvoedkundige,
ekonomiese en sosiale sukses, en onafhanklikheid. ’n Behoefte is geïdentifiseer om te bepaal
of die visuele vaardighede van studente verbeter kan word deur visuele sportoefeninge, en
of die potensiële voordele van hierdie soort oefeninge beïnvloed kan word deur emosionele
toestande soos angs en nuuskierigheid. Albei laasgenoemde toestande kan ’n impak hê op die
aanleer van visuele vaardighede. Aangesien daar tot dusver min navorsing gedoen is oor die
verwantskap tussen die aanleer van visuele vaardighede en die aanwesigheid van dié twee
emosionele toestande, is dit nodig om te bepaal in watter mate angs en weetgierigheid wel die
aanleer van visuele vaardighede kan beïnvloed. ’n Kwantitatiewe navorsingsmetodologie is vir
die doel van die studie gebruik. ’n Kwasi-eksperimentele ontwerp is uitgevoer ten einde data
te versamel oor visuele vaardighede en die uitwerking van visuele sportoefeninge daarop. Die
steekproef het bestaan uit tweedejaarse fisiologiestudente (n = 204) en het studente ingesluit
van albei geslagte, uiteenlopende etnisiteite, almal in die ouderdomsgroep 18–27 jaar. Angs en
weetgierigheid is gemeet aan die hand van die State-Trait Personality Inventory (STPI), terwyl die
visuele vaardighede van die deelnemers gemeet is deur ’n battery toetse vir visuele vaardigheid.
Die uitslae van die toetse kan moontlik aantoon dat oefeninge sommige visuele vaardighede kan
verbeter. Dis egter belangrik om daarop te let dat angsvlakke in berekening gebring moet word
wanneer die opleiding onderneem word. Volgens die bevindings van hierdie studie blyk dit dat
angs in ’n mate ’n negatiewe uitwerking op die aanleer van fokus, sporingsvermoë en vergensie
het. Volgens die huidige studie blyk dit egter dat weetgierigheid nie enige invloed gehad het op
enige van die visuele vaardighede wat in die studie nagevors is nie.
The findings of the present
study suggest that anxiety, to some extent, influences the learning of focusing, tracking and
vergence. Curiosity, on the other hand, did not influence the learning of any of the visual
skills under investigation in the present study. Good visual skills are essential components
in achieving educational, economic and social success, and independence. A need has been
identified to determine whether the visual skills of students can be improved through
sports vision exercises, and whether the potential benefits derived from these sports vision
exercises could be influenced by emotional states such as anxiety and curiosity. Since little
research has been conducted on the relationship between the learning of visual skills and the
presence of these two emotional states, one needs to determine the extent to which anxiety
and curiosity affect the learning of visual skills. For the purposes of this study, a quantitative
research methodology was used. A quasi-experimental approach was employed to collect
data on visual skills and the effects of sports vision exercises on these visual skills. The sample
consisted of second-year physiology students (n = 204) and included students of genders,
various ethnicities, and ages ranging from 18 to 27 years of age. Anxiety and curiosity were
measured by using the State-Trait Personality Inventory (STPI), whilst the visual skills of
the participants were measured by using a battery of visual skills tests. The results proved
that sports vision exercises can improve some visual skills. It should, however, be noted
that anxiety levels must be controlled when administering this training. The findings of the
present study suggest that anxiety, to some extent, negatively influences the learning of
focusing, tracking and vergence. Curiosity on the other hand did not influence the learning
of any of the visual skills under investigation in the present study.
